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Founder of Kinko's to tell his story, March 7

Posted March 5, 2002; 08:39 a.m.

by rstevens

Paul Orfalea, founder and chairperson emeritus of Kinko's Inc., will speak about his experiences leading the world's leading business services chain at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, in McCosh 50.

The lecture, which is free and open to members of the University community, is titled "Business, Entrepreneurship and One Amazing Story." It is sponsored by the class of 2004.

Orfalea founded Kinkos in 1970 near the University of California-Santa Barbara. Today, the chain has more than 1,100 branches worldwide. Fortune Magazine selected Kinkos as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" for three years in a row. Forbes Magazine also ranked Kinkos 84th on its year 2000 "Forbes 500 Biggest Private Companies."

Orfalea stepped down from his position as Kinkos chairperson in 2000 and is no longer involved in its day-to-day operations. He has been working with government leaders to encourage businesses to provide family friendly benefits and quality early care for children of working parents.